Last Sunday marked the two-year anniversary of my first full marathon.  Without much knowledge of training, nutrition, equipment or strategy, I haphazardly signed up for the 2008 Napa Valley Marathon.  A friend from Colorado and I had a phone conversation about running and we both decided we would do our first marathon together in Big Sur at the end of April.  For some reason, I thought I’d try running Napa a few weeks beforehand to see if I could do it.  At that point, with only one half-marathon under my belt, registering for two marathons in a seven week span seemed totally logical to a novice like me.

I did most of my training on the treadmill on my garage, including a 15-miler, 16-miler, 18-miler and 20-miler.  I think I might have brought some nutrition down there for the 20-miler, but otherwise, I would place one Gatorade bottle in the cup holder and I’d do 7:08 miles while holding a PlayStation controller and playing Tiger Woods Golf or NCAA Football (it was a funny sight, to say the least).  Every mile was an adventure on which I had not yet embarked, and every long run was a new personal record which I was achieving for the first time.  When race day came, I headed up to Napa with a little trepidation, but surely had no idea what I was getting into.  That day, there were some elite women on the starting line looking to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials at Boston the following month, and they must have wondered who the weird guy was doing wind sprints on the Silverado Trail to warm up for a marathon.

My first marathon story was the classic tale of elation and agony, with a speedy first 18-19 miles and a lot of walking toward the end.  Did I have a good time?  That depends on how you look at it.  The clock showed three hours and 27 minutes from start to finish, which is still my worst finish in a marathon (except for one where I paced a friend).  However, my sentiment is certainly with Napa.  It was a memorable experience which I will always cherish, and the gorgeous scenery, perfect weather and uniquely amazing race. At other marathons, you get a plastic throwaway bag for your sweats.  At Napa, you get a large, high quality duffel bag (I still use mine regularly).  At other marathons, only the elites get a special needs drop-off at a latter mile marker.  At Napa, every participant is granted that option.  At other marathons, you might end up running through industrial neighborhoods over ridiculous hills sandwiched between tens of thousands of people.  At Napa, a capped list of 2800 runners traverse the gorgeous Silverado Trail while checking out some of the world’s most popular wineries.

It is my affinity for the Napa Valley Marathon that had led me to make my pilgrimage back there every year.  Last year, I ran in their associated 5K and then hurried to the marathon course to cheer on a few friends.  This year, I had the opportunity to join a talented friend who was making Napa her first marathon, just as I had done two years earlier.  Of course, she was much smarter about her training and pacing and her finishing time of 3 hours and 10 minutes are certain proof. 

I don’t know how long I’ll carry on the tradition of making the trip up to Napa every year, but I hope to make it again in 2011.  If you are considering a marathon around that time of year, I would highly recommend joining us here in Northern California.